Home - 50Sense - For women not afraid of growing olderhttps://www.50sense.net/home/Wed, 20 Feb 2019 15:00:52 +0000en-USSite-Server v6.0.0-17058-17058 (http://www.squarespace.com)Issara’s sustainable fashion tips: How to look good and help save the planetFashion & beautyLifestyleElizabeth Carr-EllisFri, 22 Feb 2019 07:30:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/issara-sustainable-fashion-tips-how-to-look-good-and-help-save-the-planet5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c6d6ba4652deaed87b8efa6Fast fashion has a huge impact on the environment and the world around us.
Here are the simple ways you can turn back the tide in style

Sustainable fashion is one of the major talking points at any fashion industry event these days. When I visited Pure London fashion trade show this month, there were several interesting talks on the issue, while LFW saw the likes of Stella Tennant (girl crush), Stephanie Grainger (girl crush) and Yasmin Le Bon (yup, her too) walk in second-hand outfits at Oxfam’s Fashion Fighting Poverty show to show how good clothes never go out of style.

Fashion has gone wild over the last few years. According to Greenpeace, global clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014, with the average person buying 60 per cent more items of clothing each year – but only keeping them for about half as long as 15 years ago. That’s a huge amount of waste.

Issara founder Rosh Govindaraj

However, there are things we can do – five easy steps, in fact, as luxury and environmentally friendly sustainable leather brand Issara tells us.

Issara is a new company founded by Rosh Govindaraj, a former management consultant, just two years ago.

Rosh’s job meant she was surrounded by professionals carrying expensive, fashionable designer bags that needed to be changed each season to stay on-trend.

Concerned about the environmental and humanitarian impact such fast-fashion was having, she set up Issara (the name means “freedom” in Thai) to deliver quality products using full-grain leather that would age gracefully so you could use them season after season.

After visiting a Javanese leather workshop in 2014, she also wanted to protect traditional crafts and help the communities that make them. As a result, the artisans are now paid three times the minimum wage, enjoy good working conditions in a safe environment and have health insurance and savings plans.

To minimise its environmental footprint, Issara sources recycled materials that are eco-friendly for its packaging, lining and hardware and uses leather from tanneries that comply with stringent international water and effluent management standards.

Of course, none of that means much if you don’t have a product shoppers want – but Issara’s totes, purses, travel bags are gorgeous. Classic and elegant, they’re pieces that will go with everything and will never date – no-brainers, when it comes to accessories.

Plus Rosh’s business model and wise supply chains mean they’re a lot more affordable than other luxury bags.

I’m particularly in love with the tangerine tote above. As I said here, with a wardrobe of mainly dark colours, I adore adding pops of colour through handbags. That beautiful orange tone is perfect.

Check out the gallery below (click on a pic to make it bigger). In the meantime, here are five easy ways you can look good while helping save the planet:

Know your style and buy less

There are more and more ethical fashion labels to choose, but the best approach to saving the planet is simple: buy better and buy less.

Moving around so much means I’ve had to be cut-throat with what I wear – we left our lives in Madrid with one backpack each – and you know what? You can manage. The trick is to buy better.

When you shop, think about your style and check that what you’re wearing will go with at least four other pieces in your wardrobe. This not only makes it easier to get ready in the morning, but will help minimize your environmental impact.

Do this and, to paraphrase Marie Kondo, you’ll be sparking joy in your wardrobe and the world.

Quality beats quantity

Neon is going to be huge for the next two seasons – but what about after that? It’s doubtful. When you’re shopping, consider whether the piece can still be worn next season and preferably many seasons after that.

Check the fabric to see how durable it is and make sure the stitching will not come away. High quality may cost more in the short term, but cost-per-wear will be much better so you’ll save in the long run. That’s better than an impulse purchase that will end up in landfill after a couple of wears.

Check the fashion brand’s ethical background

We buy free-range eggs because we want chickens to have a good life, so why does this concern often go out the window when it comes to clothes? Dirt-cheap clothes mean someone isn’t getting a fair deal – and you can bet your bottom dollar it isn’t the shop or the clothing brand.

Before you go shopping, spend a few minutes to check out the websites of your favourite labels and make sure you’re comfortable with how they work – their environmental policy and impact, their carbon footprint and how they treat their workers.

And remember, more expensive does not always mean more ethical.

Most recently, I’ve been impressed by Pala Eyewear, which donates a pair of prescription glasses for every pair of sunglasses you buy, and Sundried Activewear, which has green principles at its very root.

Wear ethical fabrics

Buying a long-lasting piece of clothing that can be recycled is infinitely better than something that is going to end up in landfill because it can’t be reused or repurposed.

When it comes to fabric, go for something that has a smaller environmental footprint, such as:

organic cotton, which requires fewer pesticides and is often free from bleach and synthetic dyes. It can be expensive, however, because it uses more land;

hemp, which uses very few agrochemicals and doesn’t need much water. As a fabric, it’s also breathable, moisture-wicking and warm.

organic wool that has been produced without toxic sheep dips. To be organic, too, the sheep have to be kept in humane conditions.

Donate unwanted items

Finally, take some time to clear out your wardrobe and home and consider donating your unused pieces to charity. With charity stores on so many high streets, it is so simple and yet only 15 per cent of clothes are reused or recycled.

H&M Garment Collection is a great programme to get rid of your unwanted clothes in a green way. Take your items in to a recycling spot by the till and you’ll receive a £5 voucher to be used on sales over £25. Every piece you donate is then recycled, reworn or reused.

Do you have any other tips? Let me know how you stay sustainable in the comments below.

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]]>Issara’s sustainable fashion tips: How to look good and help save the planetNutritionist Emily Fawell's guide to healthy eating during the menopauseHealth & FitnessLifestyleElizabeth Carr-EllisWed, 20 Feb 2019 08:00:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/healthy-eating-during-the-menopause-an-experts-guide5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c6c4aa8eef1a1309216ef22Registered nutritional therapist Emily Fawell from 4Well People gives her
top tips for how to eat well during the menopause

We all know that “you are what you eat” and the importance of a healthy balanced diet. But there is so much conflicting advice around about what is good for you that this simple adage is actually very confusing, especially when it comes to what to eat in the menopause.

Over the last year, I’ve been told to eat black cohosh, oily fish, saturated fat – the list is endless. It seems someone somewhere has an opinion about any food group going.

And while “just have some chocolate” pops up regularly on advice forums, I’m a bit dubious about the long-term benefits myself.

After witnessing a threads-long argument on Facebook about the health benefits – or not – of soya, I decided to ask an expert.

Emily Fawell is a registered nutritional therapist specialising in women’s health. She’s been practising for ten years, after becoming interested in the power of nutrition to help her debilitating endometriosis symptoms.

Now peri menopausal for about three years, Emily’s been managing symptoms through her diet and lifestyle, as well as helping a large number of clients to manage their symptoms at her clinic 4Well People in Ealing, West London.

Like many of us who have investigated the menopause further, her experiences have sparked off a real passion in her for spreading the word about the changes that happen and how to cope.

In February, she hosted a full-day workshop called Managing the Menopause Naturally, bringing together a wide range of speakers and exhibitors to share their expertise and solutions.

Emily Fawell DipION

There’s another workshop planned for 19 October – World Menopause Day – and I have it in my diary already.

Here, Emily tells us about the importance of eating well, weight gain and the truth about soya…

Why is nutrition important for women during the menopause?

It’s important for women to eat well at every stage of their lives. However, because uncontrolled menopausal symptoms can be so disruptive to how we function and feel, then it’s doubly important.

While the primary cause of many symptoms is the change in hormones, some symptoms could be exacerbated by nutrient deficiencies. Fatigue could be due to a lack of iron or magnesium, anxiety could be more acute because of a lack of magnesium. Hormone balance can be improved through diet and we need good liver function and good gut function for balanced hormones, too.

Good sex-hormone balance also relies on our other hormones, particularly stress hormones being in balance, which could be a challenge at a stage in our lives when there are many demands on us.

And how can we eat better?

Our Menopause Diet involves looking beyond hormone balance. When I work with clients, I look at the body as a whole and ensure that different systems are functioning optimally so the body can be in balance. This means looking at nutrients that support adrenal health, sex hormone metabolism, liver health, gut health, brain function, bone health and cardiovascular function and ensuring that the diet encompasses all of these.

Is there one thing menopausal women are lacking in their diet?

Every one woman is different and our diets can vary enormously, as can our nutrient requirements. I use dietary and symptom analysis to determine what each woman needs more of and create a plan accordingly. I can also use functional tests to determine specific nutrient deficiencies.

Generally speaking, though, most women need more good fats and more vegetables in their diet and many are not aware of the benefits of eating more phytoestrogens

Edemame beans are a great source of soya

Is there a common nutrient menopausal women need in their diet?

Again this will vary for each of us. If a woman is experiencing heavier periods and more frequent bleeding in the perimenopause, her iron levels could be low. If she is experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety and having trouble sleeping then she could be lacking in magnesium.

What is the most common misconception about nutrition and the menopause?

That there is a magic bullet and one nutrient could be the answer! [Hmmm, think I’m a little guilty of this one – 50Sense!]

Can supplements help?

Yes, supplements can help. But the trick is to find the right ones for each woman as we are all biochemically different.

Supplements can be great for alleviating hot flushes. But I often find I have to try two to three different supplements with one woman until we find the one that works for her.

There are so many to choose from that it can seem overwhelming to someone who is going through this alone. And what works for someone else might not work for you.

Can what you eat make symptoms worse?

Definitely! A poor diet will exacerbate hormone imbalance and can impact gut and liver health. It might also be lacking in the nutrients you desperately need to manage your symptoms. A high sugar diet with fast-releasing carbohydrates and lots of alcohol will not help if you are suffering with hot flashes, night sweats and low mood.

What is the truth about soya and the menopause?

There is a lot of research to support the use of soya for menopausal symptoms as it contains good levels of specific phytoestrogens. I would always advise eating it in as natural a form as possible and to check the food labels to ensure that it is not genetically modified. Edamame – soya beans – are a great place to start.

If you could only give one piece of advice about diet and the menopause, what would it be?

Introduce a tablespoon of ground flaxseed a day into your diet. Flaxseed is high in lignans, which support hormone balance. It is also high in good fats and fibre, which will support good gut health. And it’s great for keeping you regular which is important for hormone balance and lowering toxicity levels.

Lastly, the big one – we all know about middle-age spread. Is it inevitable that women will put on weight during their menopause years?

No. It is true that a change in hormone levels can make it harder for some women to avoid weight gain. But there are many things we can change in our diets and lifestyle to combat this, so it doesn’t have to be inevitable.

What do you eat to help you with the menopause? Leave me a comment below.

And don’t forget, it you’ve enjoyed this, please like and subscribe below and share with your friends.

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]]>Nutritionist Emily Fawell's guide to healthy eating during the menopauseSnag: Tights that won’t fall down and leave you doing the Hosiery HulaFashion & beautyElizabeth Carr-EllisMon, 18 Feb 2019 07:30:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/snag-tights-that-wont-fall-down-and-leave-you-doing-the-hosiery-hula5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c698d878165f5f2b28aee70Tights that fit every body shape and won’t leave you looking like Norah
Batty or with a saggy crotch? Sounds like a dream, right? Meet Snag…

When it comes to the world’s biggest lies, “one size fits all” has to be up there at the top.

I mean, how often have you bought leggings, T-shirts, knickers etc that promise to deliver amazing looks on all body shapes only to find they’re too short in the body, too long in the crotch or just perfect – if you’re Thumbelina?

For me, it’s tights. Being 5ft and 0.5ins on a good day, it is difficult to find tights that don’t make me look like I’m wearing my big sister’s hand-me-downs. Usually they’re too long. I pull them up as high as possible – great for keeping your boobs warm in the winter – but they slide down throughout the day and end up bunched up around my ankles.

If that’s not enough, there’s the crotch. Now I didn’t do great at Biology at school, but I’m pretty sure your crotch isn’t halfway down to your knees. And yet that’s where it ends up with most tights leaving you having to do the Hosiery Hula.

You know the Hosiery Hula, don’t you? It’s when you’re walking along, looking glam and sophisticated, and you start feeling your tights slipping down your legs. So you do the little shimmy, grab the top and try to surreptitiously pull them up and get the gusset into your crotch area. Or somewhere close.

There are hacks to keep your tights up, but they usually involve wearing another pair of knickers over your tights (NB: do not try this with thongs. Ouch.)

Whoever came up with that hack was not a woman wearing a slimline dress and so needs body shaping knickers on. Or even a woman wearing any sort of dress or skirt and wants to eat. Unless you’re wearing a full skirt, you’re just replacing a saggy crotch with VPL overdrive.

And every woman I know has these problems, no matter how tall or short they are, whether they’re size zero or plus-size.

Which is why I was curious about Snag, a new online size-inclusive and body-positive tights brand.

Its ethos is simple: everyone deserves to be able to wear tights that fit them properly, regardless of their size, height, shape or disability.

Amen to that!

“For too long, women have had to put up with tights that just don’t fit,” says their website. “And we’re not just talking about plus size – this is a problem for big women, small women, short women, tall women.”

To that end, they offer tights that vary in height, width and body shape. And forget S, M and L, their size guide gives you a choice of curvy and smooth and A-G, covering sizes 4 to 28 and women struggling to count every inch on their height like me to those goddesses over 5ft 9ins.

Brie Read (second from left), the founder of Snag tights

Snag was founded ten months ago by Edinburgh lass Brie Read after she struggled to find a pair of tights that fit. Talking to pals, she discovered that it was a problem they all shared, regardless of their shape.

“Traditional tights vary in length, but not by width, so it can be a real struggle for women who don’t have a ‘normal’ body shape to find tights that fit,” she says. “For many of these women, a lack of tights that fit properly can lead to a major restriction in clothes that can be worn with comfort and confidence.

“Our tights are designed by women for women and cater to all different shapes and sizes – from very tiny to super curvy. We listen to our customers and create tights which will allow them to love their bodies and express their personalities by the way they dress.”

You can see how women were desperate for tights that fit. Since it started, Snag has sold more than 200,000 pairs of tights and has in excess of 50,000 customers.

They’re also a great way to add a pop of colour into your wardrobe. Colour-blocking is going to be huge this spring and after a visit to Pure London last week to see the autumn/winter trends, I can tell you it’s going to continue for the rest of the year. If, like me, your wardrobe is 50 shades of black and you’re wary of bright hues, Snag’s colourful tights will let you drip-feed a pantone shade into your daily look.

They also have beautiful sheer tights, too, for that transitional stage when it’s too warm for opaque but not warm enough for bare legs.

Now I hear what you’re saying: “Bet they’re not cheap.” Because that’s exactly what I thought, too.

But actually, they’re only £6.99 a pair and a discount scheme means the more you buy, the cheaper they become.

Sad news for Norah Batty, but great for the rest of us.

How to look after your tights

Careful washing is essential to look after your tights. It’s best to wash them inside out and use a hosiery wash bags. Always use a cool wash or, ideally, hand-wash and never tumble-dry or wring them out. Also, don’t do what I did for years and put them on a radiator to dry as the heat affects the stretch.

Try not to wash them after every wear. If they’re not stained or smelly, you can get away with 2-3 wears before washing them. The more you wash your tights, the more damage you do the fabric.

A squirt of hairspray before you wear them will help prolong their life. It also gets rid of annoying static electricity.

Put them on carefully. Bunch them up to the toe, gently put on and make sure the seam is over the toes. Then carefully roll up.

Follow Marie Kondo and fold your tights rather than roll them up to keep them in shape. (I do this now. It also saves loads of space.)

Do you have any tips for top tights? Let me know below.

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]]>Snag: Tights that won’t fall down and leave you doing the Hosiery HulaMenopause Musings – or why the change can be a laughing matterHealth & FitnessElizabeth Carr-EllisFri, 15 Feb 2019 07:30:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/menopause-musings-or-why-the-change-can-be-a-laughing-matter5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c644a7de4966b4d0edeb6feWhen there are so many health benefits to laughing, we shouldn’t be so
serious about discussing the menopause

Women experience the menopause in many different ways. Some sail through it, the rest of us have a tougher time, as you can see here.

Which is why I’m delighted to bring you the humorous poem Menopausal Musings from Lorraine Mace, who was featured on Celebrating Women recently.

Lorraine wrote this when she was mid-menopause and “going insane”. It went on to win the Petra Kenney Award and feature in Chicken Soup for the Soul in Menopause so I was thrilled when she asked if I’d like to share it with my readers.

I think I’ve gone through the symptoms in each stanza and that’s why I wanted to share it and share a smile or two.

Research shows that humour is often the best way to get through a time of stress, even grief. It can be hard to find something to laugh about in the menopause at times, but it is true that laughter is the best medicine. It decreases our levels of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline and releases endorphins, which reduce pain and trigger a positive feeling in the body.

No wonder Menopause the Musical has been such a hit with menopausal women and their husbands in the US, where they’ve been talking about the “ch-ch-change” for a lot longer than we have.

We should be able to have fun with this time in our lives. Menopause should not be something to be feared. While it was great that the beautiful Viola Davis was talking about how her body was changing on Jimmy Kimmel last month, I turned a bit frowny when she said: “Menopause is hell.”

We need to know the truth about the menopause – the good and the bad – but describing it as “hell” isn’t helpful. How many women avoid a smear test because they’ve heard someone describe it in a negative way? And for some women, of course, it is a breeze.

I feel much better when I’m laughing about the menopause with friends, sharing our experiences and trying to find something – anything ­– positive from the situation. Giggling like schoolgirls at vaginal dryness, night sweats, farting when you sneeze and how our boobs have gone from giant balloons (her) to fried eggs (someone else. Not me. Honest.)

By laughing at our menopausal symptoms, we take away their power to control us – remember the Riddikulus spell in Harry Potter? The menopause is our Boggart (and if that name doesn’t get you grinning, you’re a lost cause.) It’s a time when your periods stop, not your sense of humour and laughter should be prescribed by any reputable menopause specialist.

I have no doubt Lorraine’s poem will bring at the very least a wry smile to your face if you’re having one of those menopause days, or a rip-roaring guffaw if you’re having one of the other menopause days. Think of it as a form of cognitive behavioural therapy.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Menopausal Musings

Who is this batty woman, with hormones all unstable,who used to feel so confident, but now is quite unableto handle even simple tasks with confidence and flair,who cries and yells and rages that life is so unfair?Dear God, I think it’s me.

Who is this dreadful woman, who once was so delightfulto spend an hour or two with, but now is just so frightful,that seconds seem like hours and days turn into years,who sobs and storms and threatens, then covers you with tears?Oh Lord, I fear it’s me.

Who is this happy woman, who thinks that life’s a laugh,whose confidence is huge and there’s no blockage in her pathto writing epic novels at ten thousand words a daywith wild euphoric feelings that she wishes could just stay?Oh yes, that could be me.

Who is this frenzied woman who’s trying to containher mood swings and hot flushes, which really are a pain?So many times she’s woken, to find herself on fire,with bedclothes drenched, but feeling – not one atom of desire.Oh dear, I know it’s me.

Who is this nutty woman with her crazy sense of humour,who terrifies her husband, or is that just a rumour?He’s male and he should suffer, we ladies know the cause.Our monthly curse is followed by the blasted menopause!You’ve guessed, of course, it’s me.

If you’ve enjoyed this, please leave a comment and like and subscribe below. Pass it on to your friends, too.

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]]>Menopause Musings – or why the change can be a laughing matter50Sense wins the Versatile Blogger Award – but there's a twist…LifestyleElizabeth Carr-EllisWed, 13 Feb 2019 08:30:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/50sense-wins-the-versatile-blogger-award-but-theres-a-twist5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c606cbbf4e1fc3c525b5ff3I’m overjoyed to have been named, but now I have to share seven secrets
with you!

Well, this is very nice. I am thrilled to announce that 50Sense has been awarded The Versatile Blogger Award! As I never win anything (apart from a tin of Danish Butter Cookies, two seconds after saying how much I hated Danish Butter Cookies), I have to say I’m utterly delighted.

A huge big thank you to Trace at the wonderful The Fashn Collectr for the nomination. It’s great to hear when someone enjoys 50Sense and gets something from it. Trace has a brilliant blog so check it out.

But watch out, girl, I’ll be coming for coffee when I’m next in New York.

What makes The Versatile Blogger Award special is it comes from fellow bloggers to reward other blogs for their unique content, quality writing and the level of love they show for their subject.

There are, however, some rules, one of which is to reveal seven facts about myself that my readers may not know.

So without further ado…

Seven facts about 50Sense

I have a Bacon number of 3

At school, I studied drama and still dream of a life in the theatre. I directed, did lights, stage managed, I wrote a subplot for Gregory’s Girl for a school production (Lee “Billy Elliot” Hall wrote the music) and acted.

And in one of those acting forays, I was on stage with my friend Dave Nellist, who played Mike Stamford in Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch, who appeared in Black Mass with Kevin Bacon.

So, I have a Bacon number of 3. Not bad. Not bad at all…

I can ask for two beers in six languages

I blagged my way into the VIP section of a posh exhibition

Fashion is an artform to me – I once argued that I should be allowed to buy and frame a pair of Gucci shoes because they were so beautiful. Mr 50Sense, who at the time was only Boyfriend 50Sense, disagreed. So when Louis Vuitton held their Series 3: Past, Present, Future exhibition in London, I was there and seeing everything twice.

And somehow, on my second trip around, as I drooled on the display cabinets and asked the bagmaker if she got a discount, I ended up with a group that had something to do with Vogue. They were being given a guided tour and, wanting to learn more, I just sort of tagged on at the end. Even though I worked full-time for HELLO!.

Next thing I know, I’m being offered a choice of drinks and nibbles (I chose non-alcoholic. I have some ethics) and my choice of Louis Vuitton-designed stick-on letters. I chose an E for me and a G for Mr 50Sense and they’re still on the front of my computer today.

The bagmaker didn’t get much of a discount, by the way.

I am incredibly shy

People I know wouldn’t agree, but I am a shy and quite introverted person. I think lots of journalists are at heart, as I wrote in my piece on being lonely.

But I also believe in fake it till you make it so when I go somewhere new, I adopt a confident persona and she does the talking, mingling and laughing.

It still doesn’t completely stop the feelings that I’m boring or the worrying about what I’ve said, but it helps.

Growing older is also an advantage because I now have more experience to draw on when it comes to meeting new people. Plus I can recognise when other people feel shy and nervous and make an effort to talk to them.

I was the first female night editor at The Scotsman

A night editor is the person in charge of a newspaper after the editor and all the other chiefs have gone home. They stay with the paper throughout the night, deciding what breaking stories go in, what old stories come out, and then leave after the final edition has gone to press and go home to collapse.

In 2001, I ended a 184-year run of men being the night editor of Scotland’s leading newspaper.

At the end of 2004, I became the last woman to hold the post when I left to go to Spain.

Shame on you for not having another woman in the position since then, The Scotsman.

I was once a Womble

Remember my acting dreams? I think they stem from my first Nativity play at school. All the main parts had been given out, so what do you do with the children who are left? There are only so many angels you can have…

Being the early 1970s, you make the littlest one into a Womble, of course.

So I took to the stage, with a papier maché head and a purple outfit (don’t ask me), and cleaned up the rubbish around the manger.

I think that eco-friendly performance will get me right past St Peter and into The Good Place no problem.

I failed my Maths O-level five times

E the first time, U the second (unclassified – I don’t think I even got my name right), E again, X the fourth and then a D, at which point I jumped around the school corridors because that was the best fail I’d had and told everyone I was stopping at that high point.

The X? I was sunbathing the day before the exam and got sunstroke. When I woke up to go to school, I fainted and collapsed on to the kitchen sink while making a cup of tea.

My sister heard the noise and came rushing in.

“What you doing down there?” she asked.

“Trying to get up,” I replied.

Even in agony, there’s always time for a funny…

That was quite fun, actually. I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me a fact about yourself that no one else knows in the comments below.

And again, a huge thank you to Trace at The Fashn Collectr. I am truly honoured to know my writing sparks a light in someone else.

The rules also state that as well as thanking the blogger who nominated me and share their links, I must forward, nominate and inform seven bloggers who provide similar inspiration.

So as well as the menopause blogs I go to, the blogs I nominate for the Versatile Blogger Award and recommend you check out are:

If you’ve enjoyed this, then subscribe so you never miss out on another post from the “award-winning” (!) 50Sense – and don’t forget to share with your friends.

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]]>50Sense wins the Versatile Blogger Award – but there's a twist…Running towards happiness: How a coffee with friends changed Emma's lifeCelebrating womenHealth & FitnessElizabeth Carr-EllisMon, 11 Feb 2019 07:29:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/running-towards-happiness-how-a-coffee-with-friends-changed-emmas-life5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c602734971a1829e8f82313In the next of our Celebrating Women series, Emma Brunel Smith tells us how
she’s run her way to a new career and a new love for her body

Emma with the Garden Cafe Runners – thanks for the photo, ladies

We’ve all taken leaflets about something of interest and then stuffed them at the bottom of the handbag along with a lippie that’s lost its lid and an unused sanitary towel, forgotten until you’re at airport security and get stopped and they go all over (oh, just me then…)

However, for 44-year-old Emma Brunel Smith from Oxford, picking up a flyer when having a coffee with friends led to a new career, a fitter body and a whole new outlook on life.

Emma – aka Embot – is one of the inspirational women in my life. She features in my From a couch potato to the Great North Run post and I think I can truly say I would never have ran the GNR if it hadn’t been for her.

Her story begins a little under eight years ago, when she was at a loss after leaving the world of academic publishing behind following the birth of her daughter Evie, now nine.

“I was really overweight, bigger than I've ever been in my life, and not doing any exercise at all,” she tells me.

Out with friends one day, she saw a flyer for the Garden Cafe Runners running group, inviting new members to join. “It was very welcoming and friendly and they accepted all levels of runner,” Emma says. “And it happened to be on a Wednesday morning, when I wasn't working and Evie was in nursery, and it was very near to where I live. So I went along.”

Fast forward a few years and that chance flyer has resulted in Emma running several marathons, making lots more friends and setting up her own business combining physical activity with a therapy service.

Plus, she says, the strength and conditioning has made her reassess her body image.

“It's totally changed my attitude to my body, which I spent a lot of my life punishing. Now I love it,” says Emma, who is now also the mum to four-year-old son Joe – and two cats – with husband Matt.

“I'm not Claudia Schiffer – nobody is, not even Claudia Schiffer probably really looks like that – but I'm my best me. And I love my body for what it can do now.”

Tell us how you started running…

It was a chance picking-up of a leaflet. Evie was about 18 months old and to be honest, despite having the most gorgeous baby girl ever to have been born in the world ever (no I'm not biased), I was a bit miserable and lost.

I'd decided not to go back to my career in academic publishing to retrain as a psychotherapist, so was permanently stressed out, working hard on a second degree I'd foolishly decided was a good idea, in an unpaid work placement as an NHS therapist.

Anyway, I was at a baby group with my NCT friends and I saw this flyer for the Garden Cafe Runners. So along I went and met this amazing group of utterly inspiring women.

Are they all lithe super-fit goddesses?

Some of them are retired, some work from home or part-time, some are on maternity leave and have a baby in a running buggy, as I did when I returned with Joe.

We have a few therapists in there too actually proving my TOTAL belief of how good exercise is for your mental health!

How did you start off?

That first run I wore a pair of old maternity joggers that were falling down with every step, a Judge Dredd T-shirt with massive holes in it and a pair of 15-year-old trainers. But I never looked back. I just loved it and from there I worked my up to my first 10k and then my first half-marathon and then I joined my running club Headington RoadRunners and the obsession was born.

Now I'm one of the leaders of Garden Cafe Runners, am training for my fifth marathon and am a qualified running coach and a qualified therapist. I’m extremely involved in my running club and this morning, me and Evie did Park Run together – and she knocked over a minute of her previous personal best!

What made you decide to go for your coaching licence?

It seemed like the logical next step, really. I got my Leader in Running Fitness Qualification so I could help out with Garden Cafe Runners, but I'm also heavily involved with Headington RoadRunners and was helping out at a ridiculously early-morning track session run by my friend and coaching mentor Tony. The club needed more qualified coaches and as I was already doing a bit of coaching and leading a lot of runs, I decided to go for it.

I have to say, it was a big step up in terms of the work and the commitment, but it was worth it. I really enjoy it and along with the track sessions, Tony and I also have an online group where we work with Headington RoadRunners training for their first marathons and half-marathons. It's very rewarding.

I'm also on the books of We Run Coaching and am VERY much available for one-to-one running coaching in the Oxfordshire area. #shamelessplug

What do you get from running?

Ooh, a lot!! To flip that around, you should see how HORRIBLE I am when I'm not running, if I'm injured or something. Ask my husband about that one!

What I get from running is more than just the physical exercise, although that is a big part of it. I realise now I'm in my mid-40s that I need a LOT of exercise. I feel so much happier and freer when I'm exercising. I love the endorphins, the buzz I get from working hard, getting a really good sweat on.

But it's a lot more than that. The feeling of accomplishment after finishing a marathon – knowing you gave it everything and that you worked really hard and put yourself through a lot of physical discomfort to achieve something you really wanted - definitely changes you.

Plus I have made some amazing friends. Running all those miles with someone bonds you. As does the mainlining cake and coffee afterwards and moaning about lost toenails and swapping tips on how to combat intimate chafing.

Do you think running changes as you get older?

Menopause affects women as we lose muscle mass etc – although I have to say, no one has told that to some of the women of Headington RoadRunners, some of whom are breaking club records on a regular basis into their 70s.

Maybe, as you get older, slowing down is inevitable, but only as much as you let it. The fitter you are and the more you do, the slower the decline will be. And I fully intend to keep running for a VERY long time.

I figure that by keeping myself fit, letting myself recover properly and eating the right fuel, I’m giving myself the best shot at being one of those 80-year-old runners.

What advice would you give older women who want to start running?

If you live in Oxford, give me a shout and come along to Garden Cafe Runners! For anyone who doesn't live in Oxford, I would advise starting with the wonderful Couch to 5K (C25k) and just build up really slowly. C25K starts with a minute walking, a minute running and you build up gradually until you're running for 30 minutes.

Or if you have a local running club, see if they have a beginners’ group that you could try.

But actually the biggest advice really is to just go for it. You are literally never too old to start. Be gentle on yourself, but just give it a go.

How has it felt to change careers in your 40s?

Well, I'm still very much mid-change and finding my way to a new career. But the short answer is that it's REALLY liberating.

I know I'm very lucky to have such an understanding husband who completely supported my not going back to publishing. My job for the last few years has been to raise our amazing, feisty, cheeky kids.

I met up with a friend the other day who is still at the company that I was working for at the end of my publishing career and she was admiring my purple hair (it’s now blue) and remarked that I didn't do it like that when I worked in publishing. She asked if I was ever tempted to go back to corporate life and I'm not even sure you can print my answer, which was: "HAHAHAHA! F*** no!"

There were elements of my job that I really liked – I worked with some lovely people – but I'm just not a corporate person. I can't physically spend that much of my day inside.

What happens next?

Well, that is the big question right now as I’ve set up a running therapy practice in Oxford.

When you're on a long run with someone, or even a long walk, you seem to be able to discuss things with a depth and an intimacy that just doesn't seem to work within four walls. There’s something about being outside and moving forward alongside each other that opens up the conversation in a better way than face-to-face, which can be slightly intimidating to some. I want to replicate that in a therapeutic way.

In terms of running, I'm training for the Manchester marathon and will almost certainly do Abingdon marathon in the autumn, too. And in between I want to start doing triathlons so I'm having swimming lessons at the moment, too (I can swim if “not drowning” counts). I'm learning to do front crawl like a PROPER swimmer, I have goggles that make me look like an angry wasp and a sporty black cossie as opposed to my turquoise frilly one with Day of the Dead skulls on it.

I also have a big mad crazy dream to do a full Iron Man in my 50th year. My husband thinks I've gone entirely mental and him and my mum both asked me if I didn't think that was a bit extreme, which obviously made me more determined to do it because I'm a contrary f****r like that.

Let me know what you think of this or any other 50Sense post in the comments below. And like and subscribe so you never miss out on a post – don’t forget to share with your friends.

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]]>Running towards happiness: How a coffee with friends changed Emma's lifeGrowing old gracefully and disgracefully – and why you shouldn't careLifestyleElizabeth Carr-EllisFri, 08 Feb 2019 07:30:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/growing-old-gracefully-or-disgracefully-why-do-we-have-to-choose5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c5afa79971a184de7167915Women should be freer than ever to do what they like, so why are we still
being told there is a correct way to age?

When it comes to icons, Drew Barrymore is up there with the best of them in my book. Smart, witty and drop-dead gorgeous, she is an incredible role model for women.

So why did I end up frowning over an interview she gave with Glamour magazine last month?

In it, the 43-year-old Charlie’s Angels star talked as frankly as ever about her past demons and why this meant she would never have plastic surgery.

“I have an extremely addictive personality,” she said. “I’ve never done heroin and I don’t want to get plastic surgery because I feel like they’re both very slippery slopes. I feel if I try either, I’m going to be dead really soon.”

All well and very good, but it was what she said next that got me: “I feel ageing is a privilege. It’s about how to do it gracefully, with humour, self-love and a respect for the process, and that’s always been really important to me.”

Of course the papers picked it up, with the Evening Standard in London declaring: “Drew Barrymore: I’d get addicted to plastic surgery so I’m growing old gracefully.”

And it was that line that got me – “growing old gracefully”.

Stereotypes and the language around growing older have been bugging me a lot recently, spurred on by the magnificent Grandmother Williams.

She is the woman who told Philip Schofield off for telling her she was “young at heart”. Such language, she rightly said, is ageist. She is not young at heart because her heart, like the rest of her, is 81 years old. She is as old as she is – heart and all – and proud of it (one look at her bio and you can see why).

There are whole dictionaries and thesauruses (thesaurusii?) projecting this idea that there is a right and a wrong way to talk about getting older – and “growing old gracefully” is among them.

The Daily Telegraph has a whole gallery praising women it has deemed as growing old gracefully, women who look amazing without having any work done to them.

I’m snookered. I’ve had fillers in my eyebags and botox on my frown lines and crows’ feet. The first left me with bumps around my eyes that I now hate and the second just made me feel weird (I have an expressive face that too easily shows my emotions – Mr 50Sense is always asking what I’m laughing at or frowning about when I write. Botox stopped me doing that and oooh, I suffered.)

They didn’t work for me, but that certainly doesn’t mean other women shouldn’t try them if they want. Nor does it mean they’re not growing old gracefully.

Sorry, Drew.

Of course, men have always had a “get-out-of-old-age-stereotypes-free” card. George Clooney is a silver fox, Daniel Craig is ruggedly handsome and Keith Richards is a rock god for – well, for just being Keith Richards.

I admit, I love the fact that the women in the Telegraph’s gallery are embracing their age and yes, the phrase “growing old gracefully” sounds wonderful. I get images of demure dames in M&S dresses and American tan tights making jam and cakes for the grandchildren.

It’s all very genteel and nice and acceptable and Miss Marple-ish. It’s about being pleasing and attractive, in a grandma sort of way.

Not making a nuisance of yourself demanding to be treated the same as young people, not complaining about becoming invisible once you hit 45, not speaking out while someone 30 years younger explains how a computer works…

By growing old “gracefully”, you’re expected to accept how society sees older people. And that is as someone whose time has past and they accept that with good grace.

Stop complaining and wanting a life and pass the Werther’s Originals.

Also, I’m intrigued as to how you grow old disgracefully, because if you can grow old gracefully then you must be able to grow old the other way, too?

But how? By still loving punk and disco, as in my vision of the OAPs home of the future? By wearing skirts above the knee and the latest fashion trends? By being interested in politics and wanting a say on your society?

One of my favourite memories of living in Spain is seeing the old women at our local bar, drinking glasses of wine or beer and laughing uproariously at life – louder with each glass.

That’s what I plan to do. I’ve been going out since I was 16 and I don’t plan to stop when I’m 60 and beyond. Nor will I stop shouting at PMQs, listening to Depeche Mode or drooling over the latest catwalks.

And if someone can find me a way of getting rid of these eyebags without leaving behind lumps, I’m at the front of the queue even if I have to push everyone out of my way to get there.

As long as I enjoy what I’m doing, I’m going to keep doing it because growing older is about being who you are…

Whether that’s disgraceful or not is down to you.

What do you think? Do you plan to grow old gracefully or disgracefully – or just grow old? Leave me a comment below.

If you’ve enjoyed this, I’d love it if you gave me a like and subscribe and share with your friends.

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]]>Growing old gracefully and disgracefully – and why you shouldn't careJayne Tunnicliffe: From soap star to Street artistCelebrating womenLifestyleElizabeth Carr-EllisWed, 06 Feb 2019 07:30:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/jayne-tunnicliffe-from-soap-star-to-street-artist5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c571df1652dead327843537Actress Jayne Tunnicliffe tells us how she left the cobbles of Coronation
Street behind to immortalise its famous faces in art

If you’re from the UK, then I challenge you to look at Jayne Tunnicliffe’s artwork without smiling - especially if you’re a Coronation Street fan.

I first came across Jayne’s work on Twitter, when a grinning Hilda Ogden beamed up at me as I scrolled through the doom and gloom of Brexit posts.

For those of you not familiar with Hilda, she was one of the mainstays of a British soap opera called Coronation Street, which has been running since the 1960s. It was a must-see in my house when I was little (hey, who am I kidding? I watched it right up until I left the UK for Madrid and then followed it online. Hayley’s death had me in tears.)

Set in the North and with matriarchs such as Hilda, Bet Lynch, Annie Walker and Elsie Tanner running the show, Corrie was one of the most realistic TV shows for many years.

Consequently, when I saw this fantastic rendition of Hilda, obviously drawn by someone who loved the character as much as I did, I had to find out more so I pinged Jayne a DM. After all, she looked like a nice, friendly woman. Reminded me of someone…

Well, it only turned out that that was because she was in Corrie herself. I watched her just before we left for Spain, when she strutted the cobbles as Yana Lumb, the best mate of Cilla Battersby-Brown (Wendi Peters).

I’ve approached and talked to many celebs, but one from Corrie… I went all shy. I mean, Corrie is such an institution it’s like meeting royalty.

But Jayne proved to be as friendly and helpful as she appeared in her avatar and was more than happy to speak to 50Sense about following a creative career.

Jayne first got her break on The James Whale Radio Show – which was on the telly, natch – and has been a regular in many comedy shows, appearing with the likes of Lily Savage and Peter Kay, who she met along with his fellow Phoenix Nights writers Dave Spikey and Neil Fitzmaurice (Ray Von) on the Manchester comedy circuit in the 1990s, when she was ukulele-strumming stand-up Mary Unfaithful.

Now 51, she marries acting, writing and comedy with her art collections, creating colourful portraits of famous faces past and present. I particularly love the mugs (the Bette Davis one is my current favourite and the link Mr 50Sense is getting sent to him ahead of my birthday!)

Along with writing, drama was my love at school, but it felt like something a working-class girl like me could never do as a career (you can read how I ended up a journalist here). That’s why I find it so inspirational to see people like Jayne following their dreams and moving into visual arts.

Here, she tells me more about her career, the ups and downs of a creative life – and what the Corrie stars think of her work…

Tell us about yourself…

I was born in Saltaire, West Yorkshire, and grew up in the Bingley area – a little market town between Bradford and Haworth surrounded by beautiful countryside. I spent my art student years in 1980s Liverpool and then I lived in Manchester for eight years in the Noughties. Now I now live in North Yorkshire, surrounded by my lovely friends and family, and combine running my art and craft businesses – Crafted Creatures and Voodooville – with acting and writing.

I was last seen on screen last year, in the BBC’s Moving On and before that in the film Funny Cow with Maxine Peake, but I'm perhaps best known for playing Yana in Coronation Street between 2004 and 2007.

I’ve also appeared in That Peter Kay Thing and Phoenix Nights, when I played reporter Debra Quinn, who interviews Brian Potter while Half a Shilling are singing Send the Buggers Back in the Phoenix Club.

And I’ve acted in Clocking Off, written and appeared in two series of Lily Live as one of Lily Savage’s sidekicks, went on to tour with Phil Cool and gigged with Lonnie Donegan, Little and Large, Labi Siffre, Steve Coogan, Les Dennis, Margi Clarke, Lee Evans, Steve Coogan, Jo Brand, Peter Kay, Jason Manford, Lee Mack, Johnny Vegas…

How did you move into art?

I’ve always drawn and painted. I have a BA Hons in art and along the way I’ve added other creative skills like sewing into my repertoire.

I have international buyers and love making art and sculptures for people. No two days are ever the same.

Can you remember your first portrait?

The first person I drew or painted would have been John Lennon. I was a teenage Beatles fan!

What do your former Coronation Street co-stars think of your work?

I had an exhibition of Corrie-inspired paintings in Manchester in 2006 and it was attended by a few cast members, including Wendi Peters and David Neilson, and also the creator, Tony Warren. Plus Suranne Jones, who played Karen McDonald, has my painting of Steve and Karen McDonald in her kitchen.

Away from the show, Paul O’Grady – Lily Savage – has bought my painting of Bet Lynch, as well as paintings of Diana Dors and Tara King from The Avengers.

Count Arthur Strong, Tony Maudsley (Mr Kenneth in Benidorm), John Challis (Boycie in Only Fools and Horses) and DJ Sara Cox have also bought art or mugs from me.

Whose mug do you drink your tea out of?

I drink my tea out of a mug that has my portrait of Laurence Olivier as Archie Rice in The Entertainer on it.

Many people are put off a creative career as they think it’s unstable. What do you think?

Pursuing a creative career can be quite a rollercoaster and at times I’ve done various day jobs along the way to supplement my earnings. But I also managed to buy my first property with my earnings from writing and acting in Lily Live, so I truly believe the saying: Do what you love and the money will follow.

I thank my lucky stars every day that I'm not trapped in a job I hate. I love the autonomy of being a freelancer – and it's probably no more insecure these days than working in a bank or a supermarket.

It will probably sound cheesy, but I can't imagine my life without creativity in it.

If you want to see more of Jayne’s art, visit her at Folksy, while her Crafted Creatures can be found here. Also, give her a follow on Twitter and say Hi.

Who’s face would you like on your mug? Let me know in the comments below. And don’t forget to like and subscribe and pass on Jayne’s story to your friends.

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]]>Jayne Tunnicliffe: From soap star to Street artistGym make-up: Look good while you work outFashion & beautyHealth & FitnessElizabeth Carr-EllisMon, 04 Feb 2019 07:30:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/gym-make-up-how-to-look-good-while-you-work-out5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c56e79cfa0d6079fe9d2410Make up a beauty gym bag with sweat-proof products that will stop you
breaking out while working out – and at a price you’ll like

I’m a great believer that if you look good, you feel good, especially when it comes to the gym.

Let’s face it, when you’re working hard and then you look up and catch sight of a red-faced mess in the mirror, your motivation takes a bit of a dive – you think you’re a gym bunny when in fact you’re a rabbit stew.

I love my workout clothes from Sundried – which you can read about here – but recently, with my hormones fluctuating and affecting my skin, I need a bit more help to stop me looking as if I’m about to keel over before I’ve even started.

Some people say that wearing make-up to the gym is bad and hand on heart, I used to be one of them. And then I realised that I went to the gym straight from work with my make-up on – hypocrite, your name was 50Sense!

However, I don’t want to put on a full face and clog up my pores while I’m sweating it out in the Big Boys’ Room (free weights). At the same time, I don’t want something so light it starts running down my face, especially if I’m going on somewhere post-workout.

If your normal day make-up is too heavy for the gym, make up a budget-friendly sweat-proof selection for when you’re working out so you can still look good without breaking the bank. (Links to retailer sites in each title.)

I used to think it was a marketing gimmick, but a good primer is essential for keeping your face in place. I’ve used E.L.F. for years, right back to when you could only order it online, and while the price has gone up, it’s still a great bargain brand and being able to buy it on the high street is the icing on the cake.

I’ve tried this primer for a couple of months now and it’s part of my make-up arsenal. I have combination skin and this is wonderful for moisturising where I need it. It gives my skin a boost and keeps my foundation looking good all day long. Use sparingly.

Okay, I’ve cheated with this, but everything else is so cheap that you can splurge a little on your base. This is a brilliant tinted moisturiser – and believe me, I’ve tried loads. It comes out white and then adjusts to your skin colour to give a natural tint. I look sunkissed but not orange. It’s great for my sensitive, combination skin and gives my face an instant punch of moisture.

For a real budget bargain, last summer I picked up Primark’s PS My Perfect Colour Tinted Moisturiser. It gives a nice, light, natural look and doesn’t feel gloopy or thick. If you see it, give it a try – I got mine on sale for £2!

Brows are the bane of my life. When I was younger, I used to pluck away. Now I cry at the memory because they’ve faded away to nothing and a face just doesn’t look right without eyebrows - it’s the only beauty tip that I consistently agree with. Together with my eyelashes, brows are the part of my face I will always make-up – even though you often can’t see it under my fringe!

If you haven’t heard of W7, you’re missing out. It’s a great, budget range that is perfect for your dropping into your gym bag. The Brow Bar is a set of four shades to allow you to get your perfect tone and shape and they won’t move throughout your workout.

My mascara of choice for every day and while you can get sports waterproof mascara, I’d plump for this over any of them. I mentioned it before in my Etmore Beauty review and it’s my go-to for every occasion now.

It gives long, clump-free lashes and each lash stands alone. The brush is a mix of long and short bristles, so even the annoying little lashes at the inside of my eye get covered, and it doesn’t come off at all. Use a micellar water or a make-up remover to wash it off.

To be honest, my biggest hang-up with lips at the gym is the air-con, which seems to dry them out and leave them cracked. Go for a lip oil to give a subtle sheen with moisture that isn’t sticky. W7’s has argan oil in it for added hydration. Plus it was also named best value buy lip gloss in the Beauty Shortlist Awards of 2016, so know you’re in good hands.

What products do you have to have when you work out? Let me know in the comments below.

If you’ve enjoyed this, please like and subscribe and share with your friends.

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Elizabeth

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]]>Gym make-up: Look good while you work outHow to take care of your skin in winterLifestyleElizabeth Carr-EllisMon, 28 Jan 2019 07:30:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/how-to-take-care-of-your-skin-in-winter5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c4c1e1b40ec9a53af34f74bCold winds and central heating can dry out your skin, leaving you looking
less than your best. Here’s how to tackle the winter skin bluesAfter the longest autumn I think I’ve ever had, winter has arrived in the UK and with it comes cold air biting at your skin. As if that isn’t bad enough, you’re then subjected to the dry air of the central heating.

Mature skin in particular needs an extra touch of TLC in the winter months. Here’s the five best ways of giving your skincare regime a bit of love…

Studies show CBD oil is an anti-inflammatory that could help with acne. Because acne is a result of inflammation of the hair follicles and the sebaceous glands, the oil works to calm the skin, which reduces breakouts and redness. There are reports that it could also help with oil production.

I know what you’re thinking – acne is for youngsters. Well believe me, it’s not. When my hormones started to flux (makes me sound like Back to the Future’s DeLorean!), my skin broke out like it had never done in my teens and 20s. Spots AND wrinkles – life’s a bitch at times.

However, CBD oil is a powerful antioxidant, which means it could also help lessen the signs of ageing by diminishing wrinkles and dull skin. Wish I’d known about it five years ago.

(By the way, CBD oil is not a drug. Yes, it comes from the cannabis plant but it should not contain the psychoactive – and illegal – cannabinoids THC & CBN. There’s a tiny chance it might, however, so make sure you buy from a reputable brand. So no, you won’t get a high – unless you really love what it does to your skin.)

Eat fruit and vegetables

I grew up eating fruit every day* and I really notice a difference in my skin if I stop doing it – probably because I end up snacking on sugary snacks such as chocolate and boiled sweets instead.

“What we eat has an effect on the mechanisms that are associated with ageing of the body and these benefits will be reflected not only in terms of good health, but also in the condition of the skin,” nutritionist Dr Marilyn Glenville, the author of andNatural Alternatives to Sugar, says.

“Vitamin C is the most important nutrient as this vitamin helps in the manufacturing of collagen so a good intake of fruits and vegetables is important and should be eaten on a daily basis.”

The importance of fruit and vegetables in a healthy diet can’t be overstated, especially when we get older. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables have been tied to fewer menopause symptoms, while they’re also essential for bone health.

I also find that I look after myself better when I eat better – it gives me the energy I need to do things like take my make-up off properly at night and put on all my lotions and potions. Plus there is nothing tastier than a ripe strawberry or a handful of sugarsnap peas.

(* My mam is of the old-school method of boiling veg until it’s mush so while we also had vegetables with every meal, all the goodness had long since disappeared.)

Add a touch of seaweed to your diet

When I was a teenager, a boy tried to scare me with seaweed on the beach at Whitley Bay. I remember us both being bemused when I took it out of his hand and asked what I was supposed to do with it! He’d be even more incredulous that I now eat seaweed. When we go out for a Chinese meal, they have to whirl the lazy susan away from me when it’s placed down on the table.

I’m glad I do because seaweed is swimming (sorry) in beauty benefits. Antioxidants help protect against free-radicals, fighting the signs of ageing from the inside out, while it’s also packed with vitamins, minerals and salts to nourish your skin.

Learn to manage your stress levels

My skin is the first thing to suffer when I feel stressed. I look dull, get furrow lines from frowning and I develop under-eye bags so deep I feel like I could carry potatoes in them. I’ve tried meditation and mindfulness but I never feel relaxed, which means I end up getting more stressed – especially in the dark, cold months. The one thing that does it for me is yoga.

I have enthused about Chaz Rough’s Yogamazing podcast (above) for years. Mr 50Sense started me on it after it helped his back. The focus and Chaz’s calming voice means it is just 20 minutes of bliss, where I can truly let my mind go. Yoga is the only exercise where I honestly get an exercise high afterwards. It leaves me feeling great.

It’s also cheap – all you need is a mat. Make sure you choose one that’s light and flexible so you can carry it around if needs be and also test it’s stickiness. You don’t want to slip in the crow pose.

Exfoliate your skin

Two times a week, I exfoliate both my face and my body to remove dry, flaky and dead skin. At the minute, I’ve fallen in love with Mr 50Sense’s Bulldog Original Face Scrub (that’s between you, me and the bathroom). It contains aloe vera, camelina oil and green tea and feels so smooth – which is weird, because it’s a scrub! But it’s not one of those scrubs that tears away from your skin. It’s soft and gentle and I can notice the difference afterwards. Let’s hope Mr 50Sense doesn’t notice it going down quicker than it should…

For the rest of me, I’ve been converted to the Rabot 1745 Coffee Body Scrub from Hotel Chocolat. I first saw this at a press event and tried in against my hand and I was amazed at how hydrating and creamy it felt, which is perfect for the dry, winter months. Plus it smells of coffee – but in a nice way, not that horrible chemically sense that so often plagues food-based beauty products.

Apply both on wet skin in the shower or bath, using gentle, circular motions. For a start, just massaging your skin feels wonderful and you’re left feeling refreshed and clean.

And while you may want a hot shower after being out in the cold, make sure to use warm water and gentle body washes so you don’t strip your natural oils away any more.

What are your top tips for taking care of winter skin? Let me know below.

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]]>How to take care of your skin in winterBeautiful Homes in the North: Celebrating Women with photographer Katie LeeCelebrating womenElizabeth Carr-EllisFri, 25 Jan 2019 07:27:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/beautiful-homes-in-the-north-celebrating-women-with-photographer-katie-lee5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c483396aa4a992e8001cc4cFind out how Katie and her business partner Karen Wilson turned their
passion for interiors into a job they loveRedundancy can seem like the end of the world, but it can also be a door to a fantastic new career you love, as today’s Celebrating Women shows.

When journalist Karen Wilson (above, left) and photographer Katie Lee found themselves hit by the slowdown after the financial crisis, they turned to their strengths and founded Beautiful Homes in the North.

Property and interiors have always been an interest for them. Karen, 45, spent 13 years as a features writer at her local newspapers in Newcastle, while 46-year-old Katie has photographed home for the likes of The Sunday Times and The FT Magazine.

As for what they do – have you ever looked at the interiors pages in the Sunday papers and wondered how they got featured? That’s what Beautiful Homes in the North does. Karen and Katie find real-life beautiful homes – family homes – and write and photograph them for the likes of Ideal Home and Homestyle magazines, among many others.

“It was very hard in the first couple of years and quite stressful,” Katie, who lives in Whitley Bay with her husband, nine-year-old old twin girls and their dog Baxter, tells me. “I didn’t think we were 100 per cent going to manage.

“But I’ve had the chance to work with and meet a lot of other inspiring, creative woman and this wouldn’t have happened if I was employed. I find it so exciting.”

Here, Katie tells us more about their business, learning to work as a team and why you shouldn’t be scared of competition…

How did you and Karen meet?

When I left The Sunday Times in 2006 and moved home to the North-East, I went freelance. I spent the first few months meeting people and trying to find work and that’s when I met Karen at the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle. They had just launched a new magazine called City Living and I did a lot of their photography, mainly shooting interiors, portraits and fashion. I only met Karen on a couple of occasions and then the magazine stopped when the recession hit.

Why did you start Beautiful Homes in the North?

In 2013, I got a phone call out of the blue from Karen. She’d just taken redundancy and was thinking of trying to crack the national interiors magazine market and did I fancy coming along for the ride? She’d remembered me from the City Living days and thought she’d be able to work with me. Of course, I jumped at the chance.

I’d always looked at the interiors mags and wondered how you got into that kind of work and this sounded very exciting.

We didn’t have a clue what we were doing but Karen had a contact who worked in the industry and she got some advice and that’s how it all started. Also Karen had worked on the home section of her newspaper and had a few stunning homes that she knew of and off we went!

Was it difficult?

Yes and no.

We got our first commission very quickly and we were extremely excited. I think we came along just at the right time. There was no one covering this kind of work in the North-East and the magazines were really keen to show interiors from this area. We were effectively showcasing what the region had to offer and we were the only ones doing it.

One of the main difficulties was finding houses. When we started in 2013, Facebook was very popular. We’d look through interior feeds and contact people, but it was hard and there were a lot of houses that just didn’t quite make the grade. We even used to leaflet streets and houses we thought looked good from the outside and got the odd person contacting us.

Then we discovered Instagram and Beautiful Homes in the North has taken off since then. We now travel all over the North and sometimes further south. We’ve built up a following on Insta and because of this, we have built really good relationships with most of the magazines. We now find homes on Instagram and a lot of people contact us.

How do you work as a team?

Really well, but it wasn’t always like that. When we first started, we lacked confidence. We were so worried about failing and not making it work that shoots took forever. We’d disagree about a lot of things and it was quite stressful. I think we both wondered if it could work.

But I think a mixture of things made us persevere: we both desperately wanted it to work as we love interiors and our respective professions; we could see there was so much potential, and we both knew we could do the work well. Before we knew it things just started to get easier.

It hasn’t been easy but I think we’re at a place now were we understand each other. We know each other’s strengths, we respect each other’s opinion and we work well as team. Perseverance is definitely the buzzword.

We have jobs that one person is more responsible for. I do Instagram as I have all the images for posting and also my home is more Insta-ready (Karen won’t mind me saying that). Karen is the one that pitches homes to magazines and is much more organised when it comes to diaries, timings etc – I’m bloody useless!!

I think things work well because we are always open about everything. We talk things through and make sure we’re both happy with everything. It works well now and I think I can speak for Karen, we both love what we do.

What are the pros and cons of having your own business?

The cons – to be honest I don’t think there are many. There’s only two of you for a Christmas party?

Joking apart, you’re always working because work doesn’t stop at 5pm. I can be editing at 9pm at night. If the work needs doing, it has to be done no matter what time of day.

It’s like you can’t just relax and let things happen, you always have to be on your toes thinking about what you could do next to ensure the longevity of your business. But that’s not always a con, I like this side of running of your business too.

The pro are that your destiny is in your own hands. If your business is going well, it’s because of you and I love being my own boss. It can be so exciting when an idea works or you know you’ve made a good decision. Plus no two days are the same.

I also get to travel and meet some amazing people and even though I might have to work evenings and sometimes weekends, I feel like I get to spend more quality time with my children.

What do you enjoy most about your job – and least?

Doing a job I love and meeting so many amazing, creative and inspiring people (usually women). And being my own boss. I’m not good with authority.

Least? Admin!!! And sometimes, very rarely, I’ll have a crisis of confidence or motivation and those times are hard, but they never last. There’s no time for that when you run your own business.

Do you think being older has been an advantage?

Obviously we like to think were wiser when we’re older, so if that’s the case then yes.

I think with age comes a certain kind of confidence and more self-belief. I’ve managed to get this far so I must have been doing something right. So I keep doing what I’ve always done, but bring a bit more knowledge and expertise to the table.

What advice would you give to women thinking about setting up a business?

It’s about the impression you leave with people – you never know when you might meet that person again. Karen would never have phoned me in 2013 if I hadn’t made an impression on her, however large or small.

A lot of woman I work with often complain about other photographers being negative or miserable and that’s not the kind of impression you want to make. I don’t go out of my way to impress or try too hard, I just do my job well. I’m always positive but realistic when dealing with clients. I’m pleasant and easy to work with and give clients exactly what they want and more.

Also, never sit still (I don’t mean this literally). If you sit still when things are good and think that nothing’s ever going to change, then you’ll get a shock. Life changes, business changes, clients change and you’ve always got to be ready to be flexible and accept this and think about what you could do next. It’s like an insurance policy to safeguard your business and hopefully give it some longevity.

Don’t ignore social media. For me, it has been a big and annoying thing. I really didn’t want to embrace it as I didn’t really like it, but our business wouldn’t be where it is without it. If you don’t’ have time to do it yourself then seek help.

Finally, talk. Make contacts with other businesses, talk to other women in business. Don’t hold on to things for fear of competition – competition is healthy and you should embrace others in business even if it’s the same as yours. I honestly think the more open you are the more successful you’ll be. Don’t be scared of the competition, embrace it. There’s only one you and what you offer and that’s what people buy into.

What did you think of Katie and Karen’s story? Leave me a comment below. And don’t forget to share their stories with your friends and subscribe to get more inspirational women sent straight to your inbox.

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]]>Beautiful Homes in the North: Celebrating Women with photographer Katie LeeThe 5 best menopause blogs and sites from around the webHealth & FitnessLifestyleElizabeth Carr-EllisWed, 23 Jan 2019 08:03:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/the-best-5-menopause-blogs-and-sites-from-around-the-web5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c470c2288251ba07975b6b2If you’re after help and advice about “the change”, the power is in your
fingertips. From My Menopause Doctor to Mumsnet, these are the websites I
go to again and againI don’t know about you, but going to the doctor with the menopause feels like taking part in a game of “Dip, doo, maga-zoo”. “It could be this, or it could be that? We’ll could try you on this, or we could try you on that…”

Honestly, for something that wiff affect the vast majority of women, it seems there’s very little help out there, which is why I’ve found myself turning to the internet, fellow bloggers and social media for help, advice and support.

Being menopausal can suck. Between hot flushes, mood swings, aches and pains, insomnia and anxiety (not to mention a drop in your sex drive), it’s fair to say it can be one of the most difficult time in a woman’s life.

But reading the experiences of other people and knowing I’m not alone in feeling this way has been a huge help.

It’s also given me the confidence to speak out more and discuss how the menopause is making me feel (although I must remember it might not necessarily be the best subject for small talk over canapés and fizz at a press event).

These are the sites I find myself turning to regularly when I need to know something, want to check something out or just want a giggle. I love the humour, honesty and style of all of these bloggers and professionals. I hope you do, too. Click on the title of each to visit.

With more than 15 years’ worth of blog posts to her name, Lynette Shepherd certainly deserves the title Menopause Goddess. I don’t think there’s a topic she and her fellow Venuses have not covered – even how often you wee is on here.

She says the menopause turned her life “upside down” and I’m glad it did. The writing on here is honest and from the heart and feels as if you’re chatting to a friend.

More recently, she’s changed to focus on “the second act of our lives” rather than just the menopause. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes…

This is, for me, the gold star of menopause sites. It was founded by Diane Danzebrink, a psychotherapist, menopause expert and wellbeing consultant, because of her own experiences with the menopause, which began when she was 45/46.

She had a horrific time both prior and during the menopause and I can relate to so many of her symptoms. It took years for her to get the help she needed and that prompted her to help others. You can read her story here – and I defy anyone who reads it to say menopause isn’t a thing.

I love her because she’s a campaigner. It’s all very well talking and sharing, but if we don’t do something then it’s all for naught and we’re condemning the next generation to suffer as we did. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my nieces and great-nieces having to go through the worst of it.

Most recently, Diane’s been petitioning for better training for GPs and to expand menopause services throughout the UK. I’ve signed – I’d love it if you did, too. Just click here.

“I thought Mumsnet was a site filled with cookery recipes and women moaning about not being able to park outside their kid’s school,” said my menopausal friend the other week. “There is so much help on there.”

Often derided by people who tend to think just that, Mumsnet’s menopause forum has been an invaluable source of help.

Basically, with millions of women visiting Mumsnet every month, you’re more or less guaranteed to find someone who had the same question you have. And they’re not shy about discussing the ins and outs of menopause.

Together with various Facebook groups, it has been a brilliant source of laughter and support.

And the AIBU is always a good spot to while away a few hours…

What sites do you turn to for menopause help? Let me know in the comments below. And don’t forget to share these menopause sites with your friends..

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]]>The 5 best menopause blogs and sites from around the webSundried activewear: Ethical and stylish workout clothesHealth & FitnessLifestyleFashion & beautyElizabeth Carr-EllisMon, 21 Jan 2019 08:15:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/2019/1/21/sundried-activewear-workout-clothes-that-are-ethical-and-stylish5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c44a0adf950b7a96f9bb52cHead off to the gym in style with the sustainable fashion brand that is
helping save the planet while keeping you looking goodHaving just come back from the gym, I couldn’t think of a better time to introduce you to Sundried activewear – after all, I’ve just been wearing their leggings.

Sundried is a relatively new brand that has its background in triathlons and outdoor pursuits. I first found out about them ahead of training for the Great North Run and it was their ethical values that interested me.

Like Pala Eyewear, Sundried put sustainable living and ethical codes at the heart of their business. As well as maintaining a low carbon footprint and looking after their staff – they have a thing called Every Hour on the Hour, where staff exercise for five minutes to offset sitting on their bums all day! – they work with the charity Water for Kids to help give children in the developing world access to clean water.

It works like this: you buy a Sundried product and receive a unique code. The code leads to a pledge page that shows you how the money Sundried donates to Water for Kids from your purchase is being used – from buying bricks to build dams to harvesting rainwater.

What really tickled me, though, is that their products are made from plastic bottles and coffee! Yeah, I know!! Used coffee grounds usually end up in landfill. However, they can be processed in such a way as to make yarn and from that, you can make fabric.

As well as helping save the planet, this really helps when you’re working out – benefits include odour control, better sweat-wicking and it is also naturally anti-bacterial. Plus it dries quicker.

What I really like about it, though, is that when you’re doing squats or lunges, the material has a four-way stretch which means it doesn’t become see-through and show your knickers with each dip!

My leggings are incredibly comfy and two years after first getting them, look and feel as good as day one – that’s the beauty of sustainable fashion.

And they look really good. The designers previously worked at the likes of LuluLemon and Sweaty Betty so they’re stylish and flatter. (I actually prefer these to my Sweaty Betty gym leggings. They give better support and feel more substantial.)

In addition – most of their ambassadors are women! How great is that?

If I had one complaint to make, it’s that I wish activewear companies would realise there are little people around and design a range of leggings for those of us struggling to get over 5ft! (Oh, and develop a way to take sports bras off that isn’t another workout in itself!)

Me quickly capturing a picture of my Sundried leggings in the gym mirror before Mr 50Sense tells me to get on with lifitng weights!

Apart from that, I always recommend Sundried when people are looking for gym clothes. They have a whole range of clothing, including Tri Suits that really make me think I should get over my aversion to cycling. And swimming. (Okay, I just want to wear the suit.)

But don’t just take my word for it. I asked Sundried founder Daniel Puddick to tell us a bit more…

Tells us about yourself…

I'm a father, entrepreneur, triathlete and personal trainer with a big love for the outdoors and keeping active.

How and why did you start Sundried?

Sundried first started out as a cool little skate brand many years ago but as my love for triathlon and ethical production grew, I knew I had to change my focus. I wanted to create a brand that had longevity and that my children would be proud to be associated with in years to come as I strongly believe the next generation will be focused on ethical production.

What does ethical sportswear mean?

Activewear that gives back! Sundried respects its staff from the supply chain to the office, we boast a low carbon footprint, use recycled materials and we support charities such as Water For Kids and Surfers Against Sewage. Please read more about our values here.

How do you support women in sport?

We have a great team of female ambassadors such as triathlete Alice Hector and professional duathlete Claire Steels (just to name a few). Alice is the face of Sundried, we kit her out for all her training and races.

Everyone should be treated equally, especially in sport. Our female ambassadors are inspiring to women and men.

How do you choose your ambassadors?

As well as athletes, we also have personal trainers on our team. We choose ambassadors who are inspiring, share the same ethos and have a genuine love for the brand.

Why would you recommend Sundried activewear?

Because we deliver highly technical sportswear with all the eco-credentials! Watch this space we're working on a biodegradable T-shirt!

Main photo: Sundried

I’d love to hear your thoughts about sustainable fashion – or your top workout clothes. Leave me a comment below. And don’t forget, if you’ve enjoyed this, please like and subscribe and share with your friends

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Since getting my hair cropped, I’ve loved having a bright lip to go out in at night. Plus, ever since I blagged a front-row seat at the Halpern Autumn/Winter collection (why can’t you add Frower on your CV?), I’ve rediscovered my passion for disco. So this jazzy-snazzy lippie is ringing all my bells.

It’s a glitter-tastic liquid lip (or gloss, as my mam would would call) and the developers have obviously looked at the shine and then hit the Max button to add more because it glows.

The range features 7 colours and I’m having a love affair with Frickin’ Brilliant, a beautiful deep coppery red with an orangey pearly overglow. Reds are a nightmare for me – I think I’m the only person that doesn’t suit Ruby Woo – so to find one that I suit is nothing short of a miracle. I’m so glad I have. There’s something about red that makes you feel invincible.

It gives a great full coverage with none of the ickyness or gloopiness that glosses can so often have (you know, when they get that thick ridge of gloss on the edges of your lips when you apply it and if you blot it the wrong way, it overflows above your top lip and makes you look like you’ve been drinking Cider and Black all night.) One swipe is all you need, which makes it an absolute bargain at £18.

Best of all, this does not come off. Not at all. I’ve worn it for entire nights out and still been happy with the colour payoff at the end of the night. In fact, I know that you can still see its effects the next morning (what? Like no one has slept in their make-up after a good night out. And it was Christmas, so you know…)

Nor does it give that horrible outline that some long-lasting lipsticks do, when it looks as if you’ve drawn on the outside of your lips and then forgotten to fill them in. It is a gradual fade so you’re lips are always full of colour, leaving you just as much a Dancing Queen as you boogie home…

If you’ve enjoyed this, it would be great if you could like and subscribe and share with your friends.

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]]>Mac Cosmetic Bling Thing Liquid Lipcolour review: Release your inner disco queenCelebrating women: Author Lorraine MaceCelebrating womenLifestyleElizabeth Carr-EllisWed, 16 Jan 2019 08:10:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/celebrating-women-author-lorraine-mace-and-win-a-copy-of-her-book-retriever-of-souls5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c3e2ff3c2241bf13a64f8a8Fancy getting yourself a copy of the new DI Sterling crime-buster novel AND
inspiring your writing muse? Then click right here!I’ve written ever since I was a little girl but it’s something that I’m quite shy about, mainly because I read people like Margaret Atwood and Hilary Mantel and think: “I can never be that good.” That’s why I’ve always admired published authors (you should have seen me fan-girling at last year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction awards) and so when I heard an e-friend had a new book out, I knew she had to be on Celebrating Women.

Like Fiona Atchison, 64-year-old Lorraine Mace could be forgiven for wanting to take things easy – I mean, she and her partner Chris live in a gorgeous Spanish village on the Costa del Sol, far from the tourists. Who wouldn’t want to sit back and sip the sangria?

Instead, she’s hitting the keyboard everyday, working on her DI Sterling crime novels, the first of which, Retriever of Souls, is available now. She’s also written several books under the pen-name Frances Di Plino, as well as the children’s book Vlad the Inhaler (loved it!)

However, that’s not all Lorraine does. She is a columnist for both Writing Magazine and Writers’ Forum and is the head judge for the Writers’ Forum monthly fiction competitions. Plus she tutors at Writers Bureau and runs her own private critique and author mentoring service.

She also runs 5ks several times a week.

In between, of course, she’s had life to get on with, which has included the sad loss of her husband, seeing new grandchildren arrive and moving countries.

Here, Lorraine tells us more about her writing, gives her tips for would-be writers and what growing older has taught her.

Tell us your writing background - how did you get started?

It was a hobby for a number of years, writing short fiction and the odd article for magazines in addition to my first humour column for Living France. Then, in 2005, life decided to throw a whole heap of strife my way.

My husband became seriously ill and remained so for the next ten years until he passed away. At the same time, we lost a lot of money when our investments went sour. We used our remaining capital to buy a house in Spain, but this didn’t turn out well. Although we started a court case against the builder in 2005, which has cost a great deal in legal fees over the years, it still isn’t settled. Various other things happened that same year and, to cut a tedious story short, we were close to being destitute.

At age 50 I became the breadwinner, but didn’t have a job. It was at this point that I started taking my writing seriously in order to keep our heads above the financial deep water. I wrote two non-fiction books and was fortunate enough to get them both published. By this time I’d completed a Writers’ Bureau course and was taken on as a tutor.

Since then I’ve written and had published six novels and another non-fiction title. I’m the fiction editor for Writers Forum and also run my own critique and author mentoring service.

Retriever of Souls (Accent Press) is available in both ebook and paperback. Click here to buy

Can you remember the first thing you wrote professionally?

The first thing I ever had published was a twist in the tale story in That’s Life!

When I moved to France in 1999, I foolishly believed getting short fiction accepted would be easy. After more rejections that I care to think about, I was lucky enough to hit the right note and was paid the grand sum of £300.

I used the money to fund a Writers Bureau course and discovered I had a knack for writing humour pieces. This led to being offered the column in Living France Magazine. As mentioned above, I subsequently moved to Spain and wrote a similar humour column for Spanish Magazine.

For the last ten years I’ve been the humour columnist for Writing Magazine.

What is the hardest part about the writing process?

I think this varies from writer to writer. For me, it’s getting started on a new piece. Once I get going, the words will always flow, but I can spend hours procrastinating before forcing myself to get down to it.

You also tutor writers, what do you think most would-be writers struggle with?

There isn’t any one thing that afflicts all new writers, but I’ll list below the three issues that seem to crop up more frequently than any others for my students and clients.

Dumping information: new writers tend to think they have to put in every single detail of a character’s past life in the opening paragraphs. In real life we find out about people as we get to know them. It should be the same with characters in fiction.

Writing credible dialogue: I always suggest authors read their dialogue out loud. It’s amazing how easy it is to pick up where dialogue falters when you hear it, rather than read it.

Developing characters: allowing readers to identify with characters by what they say and do. How do they interact with others? Give the ‘bad’ guy a good characteristic and the ‘good’ guy a bad one. No one is all good or all bad.

Do you think the writing world is more difficult for women – and does age make a difference?

No, I don’t think the writing world is more difficult for women. I believe talent rises, regardless of gender. I certainly don’t think women writers are held back in any way. The editors I’ve worked with over the years haven’t (as far as I know) held any bias against women writers.

Having said that, I think women lack the self-belief that male writers have. I have been a member of many writing groups, both online and in real life. In the main, the men appear to have a sense of entitlement which women lack. Obviously, I’m generalising and there will be men who lack self-belief and women who feel whatever they have written is award-worthy, but in my experience it’s the other way round.

I’d like to see that change – I’d love to see women have more belief in their abilities.

With regard to age, I hope it’s okay to use a David Bowie quote because I think it’s apposite.

“Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.”

That’s how I feel about myself. I now know who I am and have belief in my ability, but it’s taken many years to reach this point.

What advice would you give older women who want to write?

First and foremost – just do it! Don’t let anything stand in your way. If the words are in your head, set them free.

Use your life experiences to add depth to your work. Younger writers haven’t had to deal with even a quarter of what the average older woman has gone through. We’ve lived, loved, lost, endured, overcome, survived, risen above, and generally found ways of coping with just about everything life has thrown at us. Put that emotion into your writing.

As an aside, I’m fortunate that I write crime, so can get even with those who have upset me over the years. The number of people in my past who have come to a sticky end in my books is very satisfying.

About Retriever of Souls: Brought up believing that sex is the devil's work, a killer only finds release once he has saved his victim's souls. Abiding by his vision, he marks them as his. A gift to guide his chosen ones on the rightful path to redemption. Detective Inspector Paolo Sterling is out to stop him, but Paolo has problems of his own. Hunting down the killer as the death toll rises, the lines soon blur between Paolo’s personal and professional lives…

Competition now closed

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]]>Celebrating women: Author Lorraine MacePala Eyewear: Ethical sunglasses that leave others in the shadeLifestyleFashion & beautyElizabeth Carr-EllisMon, 14 Jan 2019 07:30:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/2019/1/14/pala-eyewear-ethical-sunglasses-that-leave-others-in-the-shade5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c3b5e0070a6ad9840c58fbfLook chic and cool with these stylish sunnies and give a visually-impaired
person in Africa a new look at life at the same timeFate played a role in today’s post. I’ve been wanting to write about Pala Eyewear and my own experiences with eyesight and glasses for a while – but how to illustrate it?

And then, out of the blue, my friend sent me a photograph from when we were in sixth form and there I am.

Now I think there’s some law that states I must warn you when there’s a scary photo coming up so…

SCARY PHOTO ALERT!

(Yes, I’m very aware of how I look like Rose West. Believe it or not, I was about 18 when this was taken. My friends are still as beautiful today.)

I started wearing glasses at school and they were awful. I escaped those horrible blue NHS ones, but we didn’t have much money in my household so I couldn’t ask for something very expensive (not that I think it would have made much difference. We are talking about the 1970s – the time that style forgot). I ended up with a brown framed pair that felt so heavy and ugly. I took them off as soon as I could.

Then in the 1980s, the Daphne from Neighbours look took over and glasses became big. Very big. However, rather than looking like the sexy Antipodean girl next door, most of us looked like Edna from The Incredibles after a bad night out.

I tried contact lenses but after breaking them the night before seeing Michael Jackson live at Anfield (no, of course I hadn’t taken my glasses with me), decided to just settle for my face looking more like the bottom of a beer glass than a face.

That all changed in 2004, when I had Lasek laser surgery and could see again (I wrote about it for my newspaper, which you can read here).

And this is why I was delighted to hear about Pala Eyewear and wanted to share their story with you.

Pala – the name comes from impala, an animal renowned for its eyesight – is a relatively new British eyewear brand that aims to do something about that shocking figure by selling sunglasses and eyewear

Determined to make his life count for something, founder John Pritchard wanted to create a business that had sustainability and an ethical message at its very heart. As a result, he’s created a working model that means for each pair of sunglasses you buy, you’re helping someone in Africa get a pair of prescription glasses so they can see.

You buy a pair, someone in needs gets a pair. Sounds good, eh?

It works like this: Pala works with Vision Aid Overseas and gives grants directly to eye care projects in Africa – money to buy a Vision Centre, for example, or to set up a dispensary, or buy equipment. From funding these projects, they can work out a “cost per patient” and that’s the price you pay for your sunnies.

By focussing on people’s sight, John hopes to help alleviate the poverty and all it’s connected problems.

As the Pala site says: “A pair of spectacles is an invaluable economic tool providing empowerment for the wearer. They enable reading, learning and access to better education. They provide a chance to operate a machine, or to thread a needle and improve overall job prospects.”

But there’s more. As well as helping people, Pala is doing its bit for the environment. All the plastic that goes into making the cases has been used before, things like recycled plastic bags, for example. It makes for sturdy, flexible cases with their own unique style.

That’s not the only way the cases are having an impact. They’re woven using traditional methods in one of three rural communities in Bolgatanga, in Upper East Ghana.

Pala provides each weaver with the materials they need, they then make the case in their own time and hand over the finished product for payment.

This not only means that the weaver has a trade and an income, but traditional methods that bind these communities together are being maintained and strengthened for the future. The better Pala does, the more weavers and other members of the production team are needed.

You can see one of the women involved, Ayin Poome, in the main picture at the start of the post, while this picture is of Sakintu Adams, who used her weaving money to buy a school uniform, books and shoes.

Added to that, all the packaging is recycled (I love the “wear • love • give” logo printed on the boxes) and Pala pays a donation to offset their carbon footprint and the environmental impact transporting their sunglasses has.

However, none of this would mean much if they weren’t also offering a really good range of eyewear that you want to be seen in. The frames range from classic through retro to cat eye and funky transparent plastic. Plus they’re really affordable, with prices around the £70 mark.

It’s not just sunnies, too. Pala are also launching their first collection of optical frames, which is great because, as my eye surgeon warned may happen, I now need a pair of reading glasses and I really like the Nia.

What I like about Pala is that “sustainable and ethical” are often bywords for “not really very nice but we’re playing on your social conscience”, but they’re showing that it doesn’t have to be this way. That you can starting off with ethical principles and promoting sustainable practices from the beginning and make a quality product while doing your bit to help others.

There isn’t a pair I wouldn’t want to wear – and I will never have to worry about looking like Rose West again.

What do you think of Pala? I’d love to hear your comments below. And don’t forget, if you’ve enjoyed this, please like and subscribe and share with your friends.

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]]>Pala Eyewear: Ethical sunglasses that leave others in the shadeHouse of Glass by Susan Fletcher review: A gothic ghost story with a very modern heroineLifestyleElizabeth Carr-EllisFri, 11 Jan 2019 08:00:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/2019/1/11/book-review-house-of-glass-by-susan-fletcher-a-gothic-ghost-story-with-a-very-modern-heroine5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c34ecf3898583fa6d95f95eStep back in time and lose yourself in this atmospheric page-turner. Just
keep the lights on when you’re reading…As you probably could tell from this post, I love being a journalist. I love striving to bring readers truth, justice and the best place to have a cappuccino when you’re stuck up a mountain in Nepal (hey, hipsters read too, you know).

But I’d be lying if there weren’t a few selfish reasons behind loving my job – the book cupboard at work.

Yes, we have a book cupboard.

Remember that scene in The Devil Wears Pradawhen Andi is taken down to the clothes room? That’s what it feels like when I open the doors and stare at all these beautiful creations.

I’ve always loved reading. My earliest memories involve going to the library with my mam and wandering around the shelves, taking home new worlds and adventures that couldn’t be found in the back yard.

It was bliss. I mean, look at this building…

I can still remember the stillness, the quietness; how the dust motes glistened in the sunlight through the huge windows; the musty smell from the books.

The children’s section are the windows at the far right of this photo and the book I desperately want to re-read – A Candle in her Room, by Ruth M Arthur – is in one of the first group of bookcases, slightly to the left. Go behind the case and you’ll find it there, about second row down.

That’s how strong my memories are. So strong, that when I visited the library in the early 2000s, it was like Marty McFly waking up in the new 1985 – I knew the building intimately but it had all changed. Nothing was where I remembered and the beautiful stillness had gone, replaced by noisy playgroups and old people chatting away.

It was horrible. Truly, the end of my childhood.

Now, obviously, I think it’s wonderful that the young and the old were using the facilities and giving them a new life. But for me, the Lady Stephenson Library was a church, hallowed land, and the books within it to be honoured.

At one point in my life, I had so many books they were spread over four houses – my mam’s, my sister’s, the flat in Newcastle I was renting out and the flat in Edinburgh I was renting for myself.

Today, I have five “proper” books, a Calvin & Hobbes anthology and a Peanuts one and several fashion books. Sacrifices have to be made when you move from country to country and my babies were it. They went to Amnesty International’s bookshop in Newcastle, or the equivalent depending where I was, so I can rest easy that I didn’t pay the ultimate price in vain. These are the ones that I couldn’t give up.

And yes, I have have a Kindle. It’s not the same and for proof, I’ll simply link you to this Ted talk instead of ranting. Chip Kidd says this so much better than I ever could:

I like not having lots of things – even books - but only having a few tomes in my life has made me lazy and I’ve been re-reading rather than exploring new works.

Which is why I joined a book club in Canterbury and also raid the book cupboard to force myself away from the usual pot-boiler thrillers that will fill a gap rather than truly satisfy – you know, like when you have McDonalds when you really want is steak and chips.

This is a fascinating book. It’s set in 1914, before the outbreak of the First World War, but leading lady Clara Waterfield is no typical period drama heroine.

She suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, brittle bone disease, and because of this she’s super petite and walks with a limp. She’s also been left disfigured by badly healed fractures. To protect Clara from injuries, her mother kept her in a padded room throughout her childhood, meaning Clara has learnt none of the niceties of mixing with people. She’s never been taught how to be polite and instead is so direct it’s taken as rudeness.

Despite this, she’s brave and strong, which is just as well because after her mother dies, Clara ends up working in a haunted house, with a boss so aloof he makes Mr Rochester look like Winnie the Pooh, servants too scared to wander the corridors and a strange knocking at her bedroom door.

As the summer heat intensifies, Clara finds herself drawn into the secrets of the house and its inhabitants, past and present, in true gothic style. It is so atmospheric that I tweeted the author to tell her off because I was too scared to go upstairs.

Halfway through, however, the book changes course and instead of a ghost story, you realise you’re reading a novel about women and the roles men and society place on them. From being cossetted in her padded room, Clara emerges as a 21st century woman with an analytical mind that questions all she is told. She rejects religion, breaks the rules as to what a woman should wear and supports votes for women. She even makes an indecent proposal to the neighbour.

Most importantly, though, she doesn’t let anyone tell her what to think nor what to believe and that leads her to the truth.

Fletcher expertly captures the changing world of the early 1900s and the feeling of uncertainty to what this would mean for women, but it never feels as if she’s talking about a past time. House of Glass could be talking about women today. There is no conventional happy ending, but Clara has a world of possibilities open to her. And who could ask for more?

What should I read next? Let me know your favourite book in the comments below. And don’t forget to give a like and subscribe!

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]]>House of Glass by Susan Fletcher review: A gothic ghost story with a very modern heroineCelebrating women: Little Bundle Box's Fiona AtchisonCelebrating womenLifestyleElizabeth Carr-EllisWed, 09 Jan 2019 08:00:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/2019/1/9/celebrating-women-little-bundle-box-co-founder-fiona-aitchison5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c34bb354d7a9c15848b7597In the second of our series on the inspirational women around us, the
co-founder of the unique baby gift company tells us why she gave up
retirement to go into business with her daughterWorking with your family is the dream, isn’t it? Well, it is for Fiona Atchison and her daughter Debbie Harvey-Barnes. They’re the amazing women behind Little Bundle Box, baby gifts that you can have presented in a beautiful small case to keep forever.

Anyone starting a business has to be admired, but what makes this story more inspirational is that Fiona, who lives in Ayrshire, is doing it when most of us are thinking of putting our feet up and enjoying Judge Rinder each afternoon with a cup of tea and a nice chocolate HobNob.

However, she was bored and listless – until her adorable granddaughter Ariana came along and sparked an idea off…

“I never imagined that in my 60th year, I’d be in business with Debbie and on the threshold of a whole new career in the baby gift industry,” she says.

Here, Fiona tells us more about how Little Bundle Box got started, how they found funding and what it’s really like working with your daughter…

How did Little Bundle Box start?

When I took early retirement at the “tender” age of 55, it was simply because I felt burnt out and the opportunity to take my accrued pension as a lump sum provided the means to jump.

I enjoyed the stress-free days for a while but as a trained occupational therapist, I know only too well how a lack of purposeful activity can erode confidence and self-worth. So although I met friends (ladies who lunch, obviously) and attended the odd event, my days lacked structure. I helped my second husband John a little with the accounts in his printing business but there was no other role for me there.

A short stint helping a free magazine gain advertising alleviated some of the boredom, but it was with joy and a new sense of purpose when Debbie, after several fraught years of IVF treatment, gave birth to our gorgeous granddaughter, Ariana in 2016.

The problem was that Debbie and her husband Rowan lived in Melbourne. I went there a few days after Ariana’s birth to help out and stayed for seven weeks. During this time, gifts arrived and Debbie amassed all manner of baby keepsakes. On one of our pram walks, we began discussing keepsake cases and imagined starting our own baby gift business.

I began researching suppliers and manufactures as soon as I got home, but this was no easy task. It took months trying to source companies dealing in small cases and samples from China and Europe proved to be disappointing. It was only when Debbie and Rowan returned to the UK to be close to family and friends that our business idea began to gain momentum. Debbie’s creative skills meant she was able to design our white keepsake case in two sizes and negotiate with a company in the UK to help produce them to our specifications.

It was wonderful to finally have the product we’d dreamed of.

How did you finance Little Bundle Box?

I got in touch with the Ayrshire branch of Business Gateway and attended some of their free business courses. It took many weeks to complete all the grant stages and to produce financial forecasts and marketing plans. I applied for grant assistance to buy the services of a professional photographer for our website and to hire a stand at a large baby show. Amazingly, we were successful and were given 50% of the costs, which really helped launch the business.

Little Bundle Box finally launched at the Scottish Exhibition Centre Baby & Toddler Show in April 2018. It was a fantastic three days for us and we signed up straight away for the following year.

How do you find your products?

We research and handpick our products by visiting trade shows and meeting with manufacturers and suppliers. For instance the leather luggage tags attached to our keepsake cases are hand-made in Manchester by a gentleman in his 80s who is a master leather craftsman. Each item in our gift bundles has been tried and tested by us to offer our customers something we would want to buy. From hand-made teethers, cuddly toys, delicious Champagne truffles for parents, to organic wash and soft cotton clothing, we know our gifts are beautiful, useful and great value, too.

What is it like working with your daughter?

Debbie and I have a very special and close relationship. I was just 20 when she was born and she remained an only child.

In hindsight, I know I was jumping blindly into a marriage that didn’t feel right and when Debbie was 15, her father and I split up. He moved abroad with someone else and it was a very difficult period for us, both emotionally and financially, but we pushed through together and came out the other side. I think that experience is what makes us a good business team today because we know first-hand about hard work and resilience. Not that we agree on everything - we don’t and at those times we will discuss the issue until we find a compromise.

What would you say to other women wanting to start a business in later life?

My message here for other “women of a certain age” is: never think it’s too late to start anew. Life is full of surprises and my once jaded self is now full of passion and excitement for Little Bundle Box.

It’s been a long road to get to this point, but every day is different and full of purpose. So if you have the kernel of an idea or a new job leap in mind, or perhaps you’re thinking about taking up a new pastime, my advice is to go for it! Age is irrelevant – you just need energy and conviction and the rest will follow. See you out there!

Don’t miss the first in 50Sense’s Celebrating Women series – Celebrating Women: Designer Amanda Harrison. And if you know any inspiring women you think should be featured, let me know at fiftysenseuk@gmail.com. Women can do amazing things when we support each other.

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]]>Celebrating women: Little Bundle Box's Fiona AtchisonAnnie Haak Designs: The jeweller who created beauty when her world fell apartCelebrating womenFashion & beautyElizabeth Carr-EllisMon, 07 Jan 2019 08:00:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/2019/1/7/annie-haak-designs-the-jeweller-who-created-beauty-out-of-a-midlife-crisis5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c30f13070a6adec3ecce283Celebrities love her stacking bracelets, but the story of how Annie Haak
began her company after her husband was involved in a serious accident is
just as incredible as her piecesIf you follow fashion pages in any magazine then you’ll be familiar with jewellery designer Annie Haak. Her bracelets are a celeb must-have, seen on the likes of Victoria Beckham,Jodie Whittaker and Cheryl Tweedy.

What you may not know, however, is that Annie is a pretty inspirational woman.

I was lucky enough to meet the Annie Haak team at a press event a couple of years ago and I was blown away by her story.

Like many women of her age – she’s now 61 – Annie spent her early years as a married woman as a “housewife”. She married Johnnie when she was 21 and devoted her life to raising their three children.

That all changed when she was 50 – and not, initially, in a positive way. Her husband Johnnie had a terrible motorbike accident in Bali while visiting their daughter, who was working on the island. It left him critically injured and he suffered two brain haemorrhages.

Annie heard the news over the phone, back at the family’s farm in the UK. From having spent most of her life on the farm – indeed, barely travelling at all – three hours after the call she was on a flight to Indonesia.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, a few months earlier, Annie had lost her parents and she’d also gone through a hysterectomy.

Now, my hormones have me up and down on a good day. No wonder Annie says it felt as if her whole world was falling apart.

But sometimes it takes the hardest moments of our lives to show us what we’re made of and this was certainly true for Annie.

Being in Bali, where few people spoke English and her husband was battling for her life, was terrifying, she says, but it also made her grow up quickly.

Over the next few days, as she travelled back and forth to the hospital and sat by Johnnie’s bedside, she began to sketch to occupy her mind. She’d always drawn, but mainly as a hobby – something to bring joy to her family.

She began thinking of her parents and the charm bracelet they’d once given her. Unsurprisingly, given all she was going through, her thoughts were also on higher powers, the need for a guardian angel to look after them. Together, the two ideas began to come together.

And then she found her guardian angel.

Not a rich benefactor who put everything right with a swipe of his credit card, but the taxi driver who used to take her to the hospital.

During one of their chats, he mentioned that his brother was a silversmith. Annie showed the man her designs and asked her to make them. It felt like a good omen, she says.

It was. Not long after, she was told that Johnnie would be okay.

No wonder she cried when she picked up her first collection of bracelets.

Feeling that fate was showing her the road to take – and falling in love with Bali – she put in another order before they returned to the UK.

Back at her garden shed, she designed her first collection – the stacking bracelets for which she would become famous, each with a mantra or symbol inside to represent Bali’s ethos of luck, love, protection strength and wellbeing.

If this was a Hollywood film – and let’s face it, Annie’s story would make a cracking script – then that would be it: fade into a happy ending.

Real life isn’t quite like that and Annie admits the early days were hard, with many sleepless nights as they remortgaged their home to raise funds for the business.

But little by little, her collections took off and soon she had moved out of the shed into the house and eventually into her own studio with a multi-million pound business.

Her designs now cover bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings, all with the same ethos.

If you look at Annie’s designs, you can see how Bali still influences her work – the flora and fauna, the people, Balinese culture and the colour and patterns. She is there most of the year now, still working with that same silversmith, and after once hardly ever leaving her farm, she says she can see herself retiring on the Indonesian island (Johnnie, who is fit and well, has already done so).

Now you understand why I was so blown away when I met Annie’s team and why I wanted to share her story on 50Sense.

One of my favourite sayings is: “The darkest hour is just before dawn” and it is a saying that has often got me going through tough times. Sometimes we need fate to shake our lives up and show us how strong we really are. Annie learnt that in spades and says going to Bali gave her a new chapter in life.

If I had to describe Annie’s designs in only one word, it would be “understated”, which I love. They’re classic, contemporary, timeless pieces that are ideal whether you’re dressing down in jeans and a tee (my signature look) or an LBD (my other signature look!).

Most of all, they’re feminine without being girly – I’m a sucker for rose gold – and her charms are pretty, delicate and subtle. (Do you rmember those old clanking charm bracelets of the 1980s? A friend had one and I could barely hear her over the noise the boots and top hats and cats would make as they bashed together with each hand movement!)

If you’re after jewellery for people who know their style, whether they’re 12, 20 or (almost) 52, then this is for you.

(I have not been gifted or given anything to write this. As I said, I loved Annie’s story and got in touch with her PR company to ask if I could share it. I hope you liked it, too.)

If you’ve enjoyed this, please give me a like below and share with your friends. And don’t forget to subscribe for more 50Sense.

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]]>Annie Haak Designs: The jeweller who created beauty when her world fell apartALICAS: Helping victims of domestic abuse dress with dignityCelebrating womenLifestyleFashion & beautyElizabeth Carr-EllisFri, 04 Jan 2019 08:00:00 +0000https://www.50sense.net/home/2019/1/4/alicas-helping-victims-of-domestic-abuse-dress-with-dignity-NgdZs5b7daaa836099bdf85fb2aa7:5b7daba321c67c1bee8189a4:5c2e339b1ae6cfcc2822bea5Women fleeing abusive relationships often leave their home with nothing.
Here’s how you can help themImagine how it must feel to have nothing to your name and have another woman’s discarded clothes, handed to you in a bin bag.

For victims of domestic abuse and violence, this is the reality of life. But one charity is on a mission to change this.

Rachael Bews is the woman behind ALICAS, a for-profit-for-good organisation that aims to give women in distress their self-esteem and confidence back. It provides women in need with a capsule collection of 30 essential pieces, each chosen to fit her size, cultural and religious needs.

Women stay with an abusive partner for many reasons, but embarrassment and low self-esteem is often cited. Added to that, many men control the purse strings, meaning these women have no way of supporting themselves or their children.

Rachael, 26, knows this well. She fled an abusive relationship herself and when she went to Women’s Aid, she discovered a pile of bin bags filled with donated, second-hand clothes.

Some of the pieces had been sitting in lofts and attics for many years, said the organisers, and while the donation was well-meaning, they could smell a little musty and be old-fashioned.

Years earlier, Rachael had met a woman called Alison Grant who had suffered domestic abuse. She had fled from the north-east of England to Inverness with her three young children, leaving everything she had ever owned. In Inverness, her aunt bought her a red coat – her armour. Together with a pair of shoes and a slick of lipstick, Alison felt she could face the world in that coat, faking that everything was okay until it really was. It gave her back her self-esteem and sense of worth.

“I left with my final shred of dignity and I held on to it with my coat and my shoes,” she said.

“The damage to your self-esteem is the greatest cost to women who are living in emotionally abusive relationships.”

Standing in the room surrounded by bin bags, Rachael could only think about Alison’s words, about the importance that clothes can play in your life.

“I was lucky that I managed to take most of my belongings with me,” she said. “Yet many women flee with nothing but the clothes on their back. When I saw the well-meaning, but often inappropriate clothing donations women relied on, I knew I had to do more.”

She began researching and discovered that half of new clothing in the UK ends up as landfill or burnt, unsold and adding to the environmental problems we have (did you see the Stacey Dooley documentary on fast fashion and the environmental damage our passion for new clothes is doing in countries such as Indonesia? Shocking.)

It led to Rachel launching ALICAS – ALI’s Coats And Shoes, in honour of her old friend – to work with designers, big brands and retailers and encourage them to donate their unsold items to create a working wardrobe for women with nothing. Her first parcel went to a 19-year-old woman in Scotland’s Central Belt.

It works like this: women in a refuge fill in a detailed form with details such as their size, age, the colours they wear and any clothing preferences – do they wear skirts or trousers? – and ALICAS then puts a capsule collection together to suit.

Each collection is nicely wrapped and comes with a message of support.

I can’t begin to imagine how much that must help – to know that you’re not alone and you’re not second-best, as so many of these women have been told throughout their relationship; to know that you’re worthy of having something nice.

It’s not just big companies who can help, though. Anyone can give something new with the tags on. It’s a great way to help a woman in need, especially if you’ve been given some clothes for Christmas that you either don’t like or are the wrong size. The chances are they’re now in the sale, which means you’ll only get the sale price if you don’t have the receipt while the store pockets the extra profit (this happened to me a couple of years ago with a pair of PJs from my mum. They were the wrong size but because she didn’t have the receipt, I only got 30% of the original price back. I’d much rather have donated them to somewhere like Alicas.)

Even if you don’t have anything new to donate, you can help ­– and treat yourself – by buying one of ALICAS’ new range of merchandise, which includes T-shirts, tote bags (you can never have enough tote bags. I have about 20!), cushions, sweatshirts and mugs.

They’ve been created by Scottish fashion designer and illustrator EJ Cassidy and feature a pretty cool Spirit Animal theme. You can choose from an elephant representing family, zebra (anonymity) or leopard (fierce) designs. I’m a cat girl so the leopard gets my vote. And of course, they’re all ethical and are made by a UK print-on-demand company to cut down the carbon footprint.

What I love most about this, though, is that it is women understanding other women to help them. We all know the power a new item of clothing can give you – now we can give that power to a woman who needs it. What’s stopping you?

Anyone can donate tags-on clothing to ALICAS – click here to find out how. You can also follow them on @alicaslove or email them at hello@alicas.co.uk.

If you’re the victim of domestic abuse or violence and need help, the National Domestic Violence Helpline is free. Simply call 0808 2000 247.

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